


Mr. Coach

by BSloves1D (orphan_account)



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Teachers, Character Death, Coach Louis, Football Coach Louis, Gay, Homosexuality, LGBTQ Character, Larry Stylinson Is Real, M/M, Male Homosexuality, Memory Loss, Student Liam, Teacher Harry Styles, Teacher Louis, Teacher Zayn, Teacher-Student Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-03
Updated: 2017-07-11
Packaged: 2018-11-22 16:09:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11383698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/BSloves1D
Summary: Coach Louis Tomlinson is the head Soccer coach at South Bay High School. Mr. Harry Styles is a new math teacher. What will Louis do when he realizes he's falling for Harry? When will Harry do when he realizes his best-kept secret will eventually come out?





	1. Chapter 1

"Only ten more, I know you can do it," I shout. I stand next to one of my weaker players as they attempt to finish their round of push ups. 

"Yes Coach," he barks back. I cross my arms and look across the field. I watch as my star player, Liam Payne, leads the offenders into another drill. I sigh contently as my gaze fixates back on the athlete below me. 

"Finish up," I yell. I watch as the groups finish off with one last kick and start back towards me. They all looked so happy and sweaty; all signs of a practice well done. 

"Y'all had a great practice today. Be on the field at 4:45 tomorrow; if one person is late the whole team does suicides!" The boys groan and roll their eyes. As much as they complained about running you would think they would get their shit in order, but alas everyday someone shows up late to practice.  

I dismiss the students back to the locker rooms to change out and head home when I hear someone call me. "Coach Tomlinson," The voice shouts. I turn and see a guy standing at the edge of the field. He wore a plain button down shirt and a pair of tan pants. His hair was pulled up into a bun on the top of his head and a pair of black glasses sat on his nose. 

I try to contain my distaste towards my fellow staff members. The majority of them acted like high schoolers themselves with their cliches and gossip. It was mostly trivial and bothersome, which was why I had the reputation as a loner among the other teachers. 

I watch as he glances down at the group, probably noticing the mud. I sigh softly and walk closer towards him. When I'm close enough to properly talk I question him, "You are?" 

"Harry Styles, I'm the geometry lead. I was wondering if you had a Liam Payne out here. He was supposed to come to tutoring today after school and skipped. I know he's come super big athlete which is why I came down here," The teacher explains. My face softens as his voice washes over me. 

"Yeah, Payne's out here," I tell him. I turn towards the field, trying to make out the student among everyone. I spot him carrying a bag of balls towards the locker room. "Payne!" The boy turns and jogs over to me. I watch as his face drops when he's close enough to make out the teacher in front of me. 

"Yes...," He hums. I could tell he was nervous and that he knew he fucked up. 

"Why did you skip tutoring?" I turn to him and cross my arms over my chest. It made me look slightly more intimidating considering I would look him in the eye. I was the shortest coach, but that just meant I made up for my height with more aggression. 

"I didn't want to miss practice. We have a game Tuesday and I didn't want to sit out," He explains. I figured it had something to do with the game. He always stressed over the games. He needed to learn to let go and relax. I turn back to Mr. Styles. 

"I'm sorry for his lack of effort in your class. He'll be benched from the game on Tuesday if he doesn't come to practice tomorrow with a note signed by you saying he stayed for tutoring." Payne promises me he'll try better before running off to the locker room. I give one last awkward smile to Harry before he turns and heads back inside.

"Like what you see?" I jump as the person' voice shouts out of no where. I go to yell at whoever surprised me when I turn around and see Mr. Malik, the art teacher. He was wearing his usual polo and slacks, his hair styled up into a quiff. He was leaning against the bleachers, smirking at me. 

"Shut the fuck up, Zayn. Sure he's kinda hot, but that doesn't mean I want to date him," I state. Zayn found it his business to tease me about any guy I look at for more than a few seconds because I've been single for so long. 

"You don't have to date him to tap him," Zayn points out. I flip him off. He shrugs, "I'll be waiting in the car?" 

"I need to do something really quick first, but yeah I'll meet up with you!" Zayn gives me a thumbs up and starts towards our car. We lived together in an apartment a few miles away from school. Our friendship was a surprising one to most people considering I'm a coach and he's a art teacher, but we never saw it like that. We've been friends since middle school, so he was always just Zayn to me. 

I head into the building, going towards the math hallway. I knew Harry had to be somewhere in there. I walk for a ways before stopping at a door with a 'Styles' wood cut out hanging off of it. I bring my hand up to the door and knock. 

"It's open," He says. I open the door and step inside. I glance over the room quickly. He had a few math problems on the board and a table for his laptop and projector off to the side. His classroom was filled with neatly placed tables of two. My eyes dance towards the back of the room where I find Mr. Styles sitting at his desk grading papers.

"To what do I owe this visit?" I bite my lip as I think of what I was going to say. He looks up and raises an eyebrow. I manage to find my words after a moment or two. 

"I just wanted to thank you for coming down to practice. You really didn't need to do that," I explain. He nods, giving me an awkward smile. We stare at each other, neither of us really knowing what to say. 

"It was no problem, really. Look, if that's all I have a lot of papers to grade...," Harry suggests. 

"Wait! Before I go, how did you know my name? I don't remember telling you my name, but you...knew it," He looks down and takes over his glasses. 

"Well, considering you're one of the first gay coaches to not get fired your highly known among the fellow lgbt members," Mr. Styles' explains. Lgbt? Was Harry...gay? 

"Are you...gay?" I blurt. My eyes widen as I realize what I said. He sighs loudly, obviously feeling slightly uncomfortable by my question. 

"I thought I made that kind of obvious, but I...guess not," He says. I can tell he wanted me to leave, but I couldn't. My body was going against me and not allowing me to leave the class no matter how hard I tried.

"So, uh...are you new here? To the campus that is, I mean...I've never really seen you around before." 

"Look, I'm not joking when I said I have a lot of papers to grade. If you want to chat maybe we can talk outside of school, but right now it not the--," 

I interrupt him, not knowing what comes over me as the words spill out like word vomit, "Give me your number and I might do that." I could tell I did something right as he sets his pen down and tries not to laugh. 

"Just like I remember," He whispers. I raise an eyebrow, but doesn't seem to notice that I heard him. He scribbles something down on a sticky note and passes it to me. I look at it and see his phone number. I try not to smile as I shove it deep into my pocket. 

"Well I guess we'll talk later," I say as leave his room. 


	2. Chapter 2

When I get home from work I'm greeted by the smell of something burning. I set my things down and run towards the kitchen, terrified Zayn had set something on fire. 

"What are you--Perrie?" I come to stop when I see Ms. Edwards, one of the assistant principles, standing next to Zayn. Her blond hair fell down her back and her body was complimented in a gorgeous red dress. My eyes fall to Zayn, who stood hunched over the sink scrapping at a burned pan.  

"What did I miss?" I glance from Ms. Edwards to Zayn, trying to piece together what was going on. 

"I invited Perrie over for dinner and tried to actually  _cook_  something, but...it failed," Zayn sighs. I wasn't surprised at Zayn's failed attempt at cooking. Neither of us were the best at it and normally resulted at us ordering take-out or pizza. 

"So you're gonna cook for Ms. Edwards, but not me? Wow, years of friendship and this is the thanks I get. Why her anyway, no offense of course," I clear up. She excuses the questions with a shake of her question, expressing that she wasn't taking offense to it, thankfully. 

"We're on a date," Perrie says, smiling. A date? I try to run through my mind when Zayn told me that he was going on a date with Perrie. Nothing comes to mind and I sigh deeply. 

"When did you guys start dating?" 

"Bro, we've been dating for a couple weeks now. How did you miss it?" Zayn raises an eyebrow. I shrug. Zayn turns back to the pan and gives up, throwing it in the sink and walking towards Perrie. 

"Well, I'll leave you two alone...just if you have sex...not on my bed. Or the couch. Or in my bathroom. Actually, keep it in Zayn's room alright," I sigh. I turn to leave, not wanting to intrude on their date any longer than I already was. I go to the porch and pull out my phone, wondering who I should spend the rest of my night with. 

 _Screw it,_ I think as I put Mr. Styles' number into my phone and send him a text. 

** To: Hot Math Teacher **

**u doing anything tonight?**

**My roomie has a girl over and thats 2 str8 4 me**

I go to put my phone up, guessing it would take him a while to see it. My phone buzzes before I have the chance to shove it in my pocket. Shocked, I opened it and see he had already texted back. 

** From: Hot Math Teacher **

**I'm not doing anything.**

** To: Hot Math Teacher **

**how about we get dinner somewhere**

** From: Hot Math Teacher **

**Together?**

** To: Hot Math Teacher **

**nooo im just going to take u 2 a restaurant and sit w/ someone else**

**yes together**

** From: Hot Math Teacher **

**Okay, that sounds nice I guess. Where do you want to eat?**

** To: Hot Math Teacher **

**ill pick you up and take you to olive garden?**

** From: Hot Math Teacher **

**As long as you know you're not getting into my pants afterwards that sounds alright.**

** To: Hot Math Teacher **

**great now my plans are ruined**

I stand and go back into the house to change out of my school clothes. When I get to my bedroom I pull off my shirt and throw it on the floor. _'I'll pick it up later'._ I sniff my arm, _'not to shabby'._  I pull on a polo and roll on some deodorant. I take a moment, trying to find my only pair of slacks. 

I turn towards the mirror to check my appearance. I run a hand through my hair real quick before picking my keys up off the dresser and leaving my room. "I'm heading out, don't call me," I yell. I wait a second for a response, I shrug it off when I don't hear one. 

I look down at my phone and see that Mr. Styles had sent me his address already. Good. I send him a quick text saying I'll be there in about 5 before climbing into my car and heading off. 

~_~_~

"You mean to tell me that you haven't been to Olive Garden since high school," I ask. I had already picked up Mr. Styles and, damn, he looking good. He had taken his glasses off, allowing me to see his green eyes better, and his hair was down. 

"The last time I came here was when I took my...boyfriend here on a date. I had planned on going again with him, but something came up and we ended up...not going," Harry sighs. 

"I'm sorry, well I mean...you're here now. Who knows, maybe it was meant to be after all. I bet he was a massive douche," I say. I hold the door open for him. He stops and looks at me before entering with his head down. Was he really upset about that? I mean I would've been too, but it was in high school. That was a long time ago. 

The lady at the front desk asks, "How many are in your party?" I notice she was older, probably pushing 60. Her hair was pulled into a loose bun on the top of her head and was streaked with silver. She glances across our faces and stops, pointing at us.

"You two look so familiar...oh! You two came here a while back, didn't you? Oh, must've been 5 or 6 years, you two would've been in high school." I furrow an eyebrow. She must be thinking of someone else, because I didn't know Harry in high school. I turn towards Harry and notice his confused expression. 

"You must be mistaken. The name is...," Harry looks at me for a moment as if he was waiting for me to say something. He gulps, looking down and whispering his last name, "Styles, thank you." 

She taps that in while handing us our buzzer. "Sorry about the confusion, but you two look like these two boys that came here once. Sorry, I must be thinking of my grandson," The lady, Jadie, sighs. I thank her and head towards one of the couches. 

"So, did you grow up here," I ask. Harry looks up and smiles. 

"I went to Blackwell High School from freshman to junior year and then transferred to South Bay as a senior," He explains. 

"That's cool. I went to South Bay throughout high school. I can't believe I never met you. Weird. Who did you hang out with? I was on the soccer team," I say. I wanted to keep the conversation going. I did find it weird that he went to the same school as me, but I didn't remember seeing him. It was a small school, so everyone kind of knew everyone there, even if you didn't hang out with them.

"I hung out with the nerds. I loved math, as you can probably tell. I knew of you, but I just never had the...guts to go talk to you I guess," Harry murmurs. I open my mouth to speak again, but get cut off as our buzzer goes off. 


	3. Chapter 3

"Want to know one of my favorite things about this place," I ask. We had just placed our orders and were now just waiting for our food to come out. There wasn't a lot of talking while we looked over the menu. I've come to the conclusion already that Harry had a hard time opening up to people. 

"Sure," Harry hums. His eyes were focused on his napkin as he unfolded it and draped it across his lap like a princess. He looks up and gives me a small, fond smile. 

"It takes a long time for them to bring out good, so I have more time to talk to you," I start. Harry smiles a little bigger, this time showing his dimples. I could even see a small tint of pink forming on his cheeks. "How about we just ask each other questions to get to know each other. I'm shit at just randomly listing stuff about me," I joke. Harry purses his lips before shrugging, obviously hesitant.  

"Sounds fun I guess, you can start," Harry replies. 

"Alright, what's the story about the boy you dated. It sounded like it meant a lot to you," I ask. I found myself intrigued with the small story about Harry's ex-boyfriend. Since finding out we went to the same school for a year I was dying to find out if I knew him or not. However, Harry's face goes pale as he fumbles for his words. 

"It was senior year and he was my first boyfriend, relationship actually, and I...uh don't know. We went on a date and...dated a bit and then he...well something happened and we found someone...better I guess," Harry sighs. What an idiot. I try to think back, wondering if I knew anything about a couple in high school. There weren't a lot of gay guys back then, nonetheless a gay couple. My mind blanks, as per usual, and I'm met with a black nothingness regarding my last year of schooling. 

"What's your favorite color," Harry asks. He looked absentminded, as if he weren't completed here. 

"Blue," I answer. He sighs softly as he looks down at one of the many rings he wore. I hadn't noticed how many he was wearing until now. He twirled one around his finger and muttered something I didn't catch. 

"What did you say," I question. Harry looks up, giving me a confused look. "You just said something, but I didn't catch it." 

"Don't worry about it, I was just...thinking out loud," He mutters again. I couldn't stand when people pulled stuff like that. I had been in a room where people talked about me, but not loud enough for me to hear, for nearly a whole year. It was frustrating having to go through something like that. 

"My next question is what did you just say," I demand a little louder this time. Harry looks up, eyebrows pulled into a worried expression. I watch as his face relaxes, obviously giving in. 

"I said, it's still the same," He answers quietly.

My brain runs, nearly tripping over itself as I try to make sense of what he just said. "How did you know my favorite color? If you knew then why did you ask? I...I don't...," I stammer. 

He sucks in a breath as he tries to piece together something. I watch him as he looks over my shoulder and sighs. "Oh uh, the food's  here," He murmurs. I turn around and see the waitress coming over with two plates of food. She sets it down in front of us without much of a word before hurrying off.  

He takes another delicate bite of food before whispering, "I'm sorry, Lou." I pause, fork halfway to my mouth as the nickname slips from under his breath and passes between us.  

~_~_~

I had already dropped off Harry and was pulling into my parking lot, when I see the strange car parked in our driveway. I didn't recognize the car at all and stop as my heart starts to race. 

I see a strange, hooded figure slowly walk from behind the house to the mystery car. I slouched in my seat, not wanting to be seen by the person in case they were a killer or something. There wasn't anything urgent about them as they climbed into their car. 

I slipped out of my car after I see the car drive off. Visions of Zayn's and Perrie's dead and bleeding bodies play in my head as I slowly open the door. I sigh loudly as I see Zayn sitting on the couch, looking about as normal as ever. 

"Did you see that car that was parked in the driveway? There was this creepy person wearing a black hoodie walking towards it and then driving away. I thought something happened," I say. Zayn turns to me and gulps lightly. 

"It was nothing...they were coming over to talk to me. A co-worker. Nothing huge," Zayn stammers. I knew he was lying, I mean why would a co-worker come to the house after 8? I let it slide, not wanting to get caught up in something I didn't want to get caught up in. 

"I'm going to bed. Please tell me you didn't have sex on it," I sigh. Zayn shakes his head no and I head towards my room. I quickly peel off my clothes and climb into bed. I find myself drifting to sleep as I lay my head down.

_"Lou! Louis! Open your eyes silly," Someone laughs. I open my eyes in confusion and look around. I'm in an unfamiliar house. The walls are a dark green and a picture of deer was hung on the wall. I turn around and see a boy. His face was blurry, almost as if my mind didn't know who it was, but remembered the moment. I look towards the bed and see...myself, but younger. I recognized my terrible hairstyle and dressing as senior year._

_I see that the boy is holding something, a box. I didn't have to see his face to tell he was excited. He was rocking back and forth on his feet as he handed the young me the box and sat next to him. I walk towards the pair, feeling slightly invasive as I watch._

_"Open it! I can't wait to see your reaction," The boy sighs. 'I watch as 'I' open the box and see a familiar jersey. It was my Los Angeles Galaxy soccer club jersey. I still owned it to this day._

_"It's great! Thanks, I'm going to wear it tomorrow," 'I' promise. The younger me brings the boy into a hug. Even as I stood there, watching the moment, I could tell how much this boy meant to me when I was younger. I longed to know who was giving me the gift._

_"I'm glad you like it," The boys whispers into past me's ear._

_"I don't like it, I love it. And I love you too," 'I' kiss he boy on the nose. I try not to cringe as I hear myself say 'I love you'. Even in high school I found it weird to say it unless I truly felt it towards someone. I'm lead to the conclusion this boy had to mean something to me._

_"I love you too, promise you'll always be here with me," The boys sighs softly._

_"Promise."_

I jolt awake and stare up at my ceiling.

Who was the boy in the dreams? I didn't let anyone call me Lou unless they were super close to me and the way we were acting towards each other lead me to believe he was my boyfriend. I knew I had a boyfriend in high school, Mom told me that numerous times, but I doubt that it was who I was thinking of. He was never...romantic enough for something like that. 

There was only one person that really knew what happened senior year and one person who would help me figure out what was going on. 

My mother. 


	4. Chapter 4

I pride myself in being one of the first people to work. There was always something nice about getting to work and being the first one to turn the lights on and get ready. However, when I pull into the parking lot the following morning I find two cars parked in the teacher parking lot already. 

Both cars looked familiar, however it was too early for my mind to place where I knew them form. I grab my duffel bag from the backseat before heading inside the gym. I let my duffel slide off my shoulder taking no time in getting comfy. Instead, I grab my keys and go to investigate. 

I couldn't look suspicious. I find myself walking down the hall from the gym to the front entrance. The lights aren't turned on in the front office yet, which was a slight relief. I find myself strolling down the hall, stopping when I see a lit-up hallway. 

I look both ways to make sure nobody is near me before easing my way down the hallway, stopping as I see light shin from the bottom of a door. This was the art room, as in Zayn's classroom. He never got here before I did. I press my ear to the door, wanting to eavesdrop.  

 _"I love you,"_   Zayn's voice says. I find myself cringing at the statement. Perrie and him couldn't be at the 'I love you's' already. It seemed way to soon, but considering I haven't had a boyfriend in at least two years I couldn't say much. 

 _"I love you more."_  That voice sounded nothing like Perrie. I think back to the cars and now place Zayn's, but the others was still a mystery. 

 _"I'm sorry you had to come so early. I miss you a lot and it's hard not kissing you whenever I want to. You're so adorable I find it hard to resist,"_  Zayn huffs. My brain hammers trying to figure out who Zayn was kissing. I knew that voice didn't belong to Perrie, but who else could it be? Nothing was adding up. 

 _"You saw me yesterday,"_   The person teases. Maybe my brain was just playing tricks on me. It had to be Perrie. There was no other logical explanation. I stand, deciding to just ask Zayn about it later. However, when I stand up and go to turn my foot slips and I fall. I land on the ground with a thud and I pray that nobody heard it. 

Silence. It was the only thing that could be heard. After a moment I hear rustling and the door opens. Zayn pops his head out his face forming from a frown to a face of relief. I furrow my eyebrows as I stand up on my own.  

"Louis, what are you doing here," Zayn asks. I scoff. 

"I should be asking you that question. Who's in there? I heard a voice," I snap. Zayn's face falls and he glances back in his room. 

"I was on the phone with someone. It was on speaker because I was trying to clean up a little before class. Nothing to worry about, just go back downstairs. I'll see you this afternoon." Zayn gives me a small smile before shutting the door. I narrow my eyes as I take a step back. He was hiding something. 

I hated when people hid stuff from me. 

~_~_~

Boys athletics was the last period of the day. It was great that way, because the equipment was already out and ready for after school practice. Nobody had to bother changing, we just continued after the bell. 

"Payne! Come here," I bark. The team was in the middle of a scrimmage, but Payne was totally off his game. It surprised me. He turns to face me when he hears his name and jogs over. A small frown covers his face as he gets to me. 

"Is something wrong? You're not playing very well and I except more from you" I ask. I found myself lowering my voice and letting it become softer, abandoning the hardened tone I use during practice. I may seem like a jackass most of the time, but I pride myself in knowing when to be gentle. 

"I haven't been getting enough sleep at night. I'm making up all my work and trying to stay caught up in math, but the art show is coming up and Mr. Malik has been hard on me. I'm sorry, I shouldn't be making up excuses, but I'm just having a rough time," He explains. 

I understood that completely. When I was in high school I struggled in my core classes and found myself falling behind a lot. Studying consumed most of my life, but when I wasn't doing that I had a script or monologue to memorize in theater. It was always one thing after another. I was just glad I had a coach that understood and helped me. If it wasn't for him, I don't know where I would be right now. 

"Go home, rest, and do whatever you need to do. You got today off, but tomorrow I want to you see you at your best, okay?" I pat his shoulder as he thanks me. He brings me in for a short hug before running off to the changing room. 

I decided to cut practice a little short today, since everyone seemed a little down. There was no point in practicing if everyone wasn't giving their all anyway. I knew Zayn would probably be up in his room still. We normally just met up with each other at the fields and then headed home in separate cars, but since I cut practice early he probably wasn't down yet. 

I whistle as I make my way up to Zayn's room. I felt at ease and almost calm for the first time in a long time. The only thing that worried me was the incident this morning, but I would ask Zayn about that sometime tonight. It was probably nothing to worry about. 

I open the door and stop as I see Zayn kissing someone and the person was not female. "Zayn?" The word leaves my mouth loud and very confused. The two jump apart and my heart drops as I see someone I knew. The car and hooded figure from last night come back to me and I realize how I knew it. 

"Liam?" 


	5. Chapter 5

"Liam?" 

I quickly close the door, forgetting why I went there in the first place. I turn and rush to my car. My mind was filling with different explanations to explain what was going on. Zayn was breaking the law. What I just witnessed was  _so_  illegal. 

I needed to distract myself from what I just saw. The other thing that had been consuming my mind floats to the surface and I find myself driving to my mother's house. I slip out of my car, trying to find the right words to describe the situation. Before I know it my mother is opening the front door and smiling at me. 

"Hey, Louis! Come in! What brings you here?" She leads me in the house and smiles as I hesitantly take a seat on the sofa. 

"I needed to to talk to you," I state. Her eyebrows furrow as if she already knew what I wanted to question her about. A bubble forms in my throat as I try to stall. She gestures for me to continue and I sigh before starting. 

"Well, I had this dream. It was of me, but I was in third-person and there was a boy. I felt like I knew him, but it was like my mind couldn't remember who it was. He had given me my jersey, you know the LA galaxy jersey? I...just, can you explain senior year to me again? I know you do it every time, but I just...need to know what this may mean," I stammer. My mother nods. 

The accident. The accident that caused me to forget all of my senior year. I hated talking about it. The event caused me to loose the information I had gained throughout my senior year and forced me to retake the year. It also made my dream of becoming a professional athlete nearly unattainable. 

From what I was told, I got shocked in one of the last soccer games of the season. While I was on the ground someone kicked my head in. The kick ended up giving me Retrograde Amnesia. This type of amnesia resulted in me losing most of my memories before the accident, but didn't cause any long-term memory problems. The doctor said that I would have no problem remembering past skills or every day-to-day activities. I was told that my memory could be 'jogged' if people were to give me things from my past, but things that happened the day of accident, or even a few weeks before, were essentially lost forever. 

This resulted in my senior year being one big blur. Big milestones stood out, for instance I remember my birthday and the first day of school, but when it came down to the fine details I just couldn't remember. My mother had always been there to answer questions for me when I needed them. We were always close which meant she knew what was going on in my life and I had never been so thankful for the closeness between us. 

"What is it that you want me to re-explain," Mom asks. Whenever I wanted to know about something that happened that year my mom would tell me, but typically it was always specific things I wanted to hear about. 

"Tell me about my relationships again," I answer. She sucks in a breath and looks at her hands, preparing herself to explain. My relationships were always something I was curious about, so Mom had explained it countless times already. 

"In August you told me about Stan and how you had a crush on him. You told me that he was nerdy and you were scared about what your friends would think. Stan asked you out in November, right before your birthday, and you said yes. The two of you were still dating after the accident happened," Mother explains. She repeated the story many times and it was always short and sweet. 

"Do you have any pictures, or anything really, from the relationship? I think something's been triggering my memories. Maybe if I saw something it'll help bring it to the surface," I suggest. My mother gulps lightly and hestitantly stands. I watch her as she ventures into my old bedroom and comes back with a box. 

I didn't recognize the box, so I figured she hadn't showed it to me before. She placed the box on the table and opened it. The box was full of origami pieces and each origami piece was made out of a different kind and color of paper. Most of what was in the box were the typical cranes, but there were also a few hearts and flowers. 

I reach in and dig around a little bit before feeling something metal. I furrow an eyebrow as I pull it out to reveal a ring. It was silver and didn't shin anymore. I could tell I had worn it a lot from the small dings in the metal. 

"What's this," I mutter. I pull my attention from the ring and back to my mother. She wipes her teary eyes and smiles a little bit. 

"He got you that for your three month anniversary. You never left the house unless you had it on. I could tell you two were madly in love. You said it all the time and I believed it. It's a bummer you got in your accident. I can't help but imagine where you two would've been if it hadn't happened," Mother sighs. I roll my eyes and decide I would keep the ring. It felt nice wearing it, almost like it belonged there, as if I were missing something without it. 

I slip it on my middle finger and continue looking through the pieces of origami. I find a larger crane, probably the largest, and on the outside in neat cursive was the word 'unfold'.

_I love you_

_-S_

It didn't take a genius to figure out that the 'S' stood for Stan. 

As I go through the box a while longer, something hits me. I become heavy as I try to find a logical explanation, but nothing comes to me.

"Mom, you're telling me Stan made these all these?" She looks up and gives me a small nod. 

"It was your thing," Mom answers simply. 

"I dated Stan in tenth grade and I know that he hated origami. I know because I had that phase where I was really into it and he always teased me about it. He wouldn't put all this time into making stuff like this. And this handwriting, Stan had terrible handwriting and this is so...so neat and nice," I say slowly. 

"Louis, I think it's time for you to go." 

"What do you mean? I just got here," I protest. Mom stands and gives me a look. She gestures for me to stand and I do, following her towards the door. 

Mom opens the door, "One last thing," I whisper. She wraps her arms around herself, clearly done with the conversation. "Did I know Harry Styles?" I had never seen my mom's face become so harsh looking. Her mouth forms a scold and she polity steps back into the house.  

"Have a nice trip home," She mutters. I raise an eyebrow, but before I have time to say anything she's slamming the door in my face. So much for answers. 


	6. Chapter 6

It was the following afternoon and practice had just ended. I was sitting in my office watching soccer clips to get some new ideas for the team. I hear a light knock at the door and turn to see Harry. He was clad in his usual polo and pants, glasses perched on his nose. His hair was pulled up into a bun out of his face. I watch as he fiddles with his fingers. 

"Louis, can we...talk?" I shut the lid of my computer and turn back towards him. He takes a step in and shuts the door. 

"What's up?" 

"It's about...us," He mutters. My heart drops to my toes. This was never a good talk. I didn't know there was an 'us' to talk about, but I guess there was. "I don't...think...we should talk. I mean...it's been nice, but I don't think this is...healthy," He stammers. 

I glance down to his hands. He was fiddling with his hands, probably a nervous habit, but I noticed a ring. It was silver, but was worn out like he had been wearing it for years. He wasn't...married was he? My whole body freezes as I imagine Harry being married.  

"What do you mean it isn't healthy? We're just friends...there's nothing unhealthy about it. You aren't  _married_...are you?" Harry's eyes go big and he shakes his head. I watch as he loosens the bun on his head, probably thinking. 

"I just...you. I can't with you. You make me...feel things. Things that I'm not allowed to feel towards you," Harry sighs. He starts pacing across the room, making my anxiety skyrocket. 

"Is it good things? Like nerves?" Did he like me? I stand and take a step towards him, pulling him towards me so he stops pacing. He looks me in the eyes and gulps. I watch as his eyes nervously graze over my face. He shakes his head and looks down at his hands instead. 

"I can't do this...I just can't," He whispers. I should hear the shakiness in his voice as he spoke. I lift his head up so he was looking at me. He tries to turn away, obviously embarrassed, but I keep our eyes locked. 

"You can't just leave me like that. Have you thought about how I feel," I whisper back.

"Everyday I think about how you feel, Louis, and I just can't...please," He mutters. He tries to back away, but I pull him closer. My minds goes on auto-pilot as I lean forwards and connect our lips.  

A thousand feelings swarm me in a matter of seconds. It was like there was a dam unleashing all it's waters at once. He wraps his arms around my waist and holds me close as he deepens the kiss. My hands go to his neck and for some reason it feels...natural. It felt like my body already knew how to work with his. 

"I missed you so much," Harry whispers. I keep the distance short so I can still reach forwards and peck his lips. They were like drugs. 

"What do you mean?" I was too focused on kissing him to really hear what he was saying. I didn't want to have a deep discussion about my feelings, I just wanted to kiss him. 

"I have something I need to tell you," Harry sighs. He steps away from me and I groan. Why did we have to do this now? Couldn't we have this talk later? 

"What?"

"We knew each other in high school. Really well actually," Harry starts. I furrow my eyebrows. Mom never said anything about Harry whenever we talked about high school. Why would she leave him out? I think back to her tense attitude when I mentioned him. 

"We were friends," I ask slowly. Harry looks at his hands and twirls the ring a couple of times. 

"Something like that," He whispers. 

"What do you mean, something like that?" I demand. Harry walks towards the door and gives me one last, sad, look. I could tell whatever it was, was eating him up inside. 

"I'm really sorry, Louis, but I can't talk to you anymore. I wasn't even supposed to see you after high school, everyone told me that it would be unhealthy and that if I were to...heal properly you couldn't be in the picture," Harry cries. I didn't know when he started crying, but I now notice the tears slipping down his rosy cheeks. 

"What's going on, Harry? What am I missing? You can't just leave me like this! You obviously know something," I scream. I feel my own tears start to fill my eyes. I was so desperate for him to stay and explain what was going on. I hated not knowing.

"I'm really sorry, Louis. Please, delete my number," Harry whispers. I watch pathetically as he slips out of my office. I plop back on my chair and sit there, allowing myself to cry. I hear the door open and watch as Payne walks in. 

"Coach? Are you okay? Do I need to call Zayn?" I give a small nod. The only thing I wanted right now was to be with my best friend. Zayn always knew how to cheer me up. I hear Liam pull out his phone and call him. A moment later the door opens and I feel familiar hands wrap around me. 

"Liam, can you lock up? I'm gonna take Louis home," Zayn explains. Zayn rubs my back as I stand and grab my things. I hated crying over something as pathetic as a boy. Zayn walks me to his car, not wanting me to drive home. 

"Louis...what's up," Zayn asks. I felt a little better by the time we got back to the house. I was just tired from crying and confused. Zayn and I were sitting on the couch. I sipped from a cup of tea while Zayn watches me. 

"Harry said that we couldn't talk anymore," I say quietly. Zayn gives a small nod. 

"I know that he's important to you, I know that, but I also know you. You don't cry over things like that, Louis. There's something else this is all coming from." I felt like we were both back in high school. When Stan broke up with me the first time, Zayn came and he made tea and we just talked. It was nice to have moments like this where I wasn't forced to be some hardened coach or hold up a masculine exterior. I liked knowing I could be vulnerable in front of someone like this.  

"There's something he isn't telling me and I hate not knowing what happened. It's my life I should know more than anyone else about me. Because of that stupid accident I don't have control of my life anymore. I keep putting it behind me, but things just keep coming up like this," I complain .

"Hey, how about this weekend I take you around the town to things that held significance and see if it helps with anything," Zayn suggests. 

"That would be great." 


End file.
